"Fatty, you actually..."
The bearded uncle's eyes welled up with tears, but before he could finish, he was kicked out by Flander.
"Go run. Now."
Flander crossed his arms and snorted, then turned to look at Ma Hongjun with surprise.
He had to admit, ever since Fatty's martial soul mutated, his luck with women had been... unusually good.
No, that's not right.
Thinking of the granddaughter of the dragon and the snake, Flander couldn't help but feel depressed.
Was this some sort of peach blossom calamity?
Had the Evil Fire Phoenix mutated into a Charming Phoenix?
"And the rest of you—what are you still doing standing at the door?"
Flander shook his head and frowned at the boys and girls lingering outside.
"Ning Rongrong will run with Oscar. You're not allowed to eat lunch until you've run twenty laps."
"The rest of you, follow me."
With that, he walked into the academy grounds with his hands clasped behind his back.
"We're done for... The dean's definitely going to punish us now."
Dai Mubai wasn't in the mood to care about why Zhu Zhuqing had thrown herself into Ma Hongjun's arms. All he could do was stare bitterly at Flander's back.
"What punishment? Did we even do anything wrong?"
The red-haired boy was puzzled.
"Of course we did - we all left the academy."
Dai Mubai sighed.
"Huh? You didn't say—wuwuwu!"
Ma Hongjun was even more confused, but Dai Mubai quickly covered his mouth before he could finish.
Feeling the suspicious gazes of Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai swallowed hard and asked nervously, "Fatty, just tell me the truth—did you go or not?"
"I went, but—wuwuwuwu!"
"Then what are we worried about? We just need to go!"
Dai Mubai slapped Ma Hongjun's shoulder and whispered, glancing around, "You know how petty the dean can be. He's definitely going to hold a grudge!"
As he spoke, he frantically pleaded with his eyes:
Please don't say anything. I was wrong. I'll make it up to you for the rest of my life!
It was hard to imagine how someone could say so much with just their eyes—but Ma Hongjun understood perfectly.
He nodded.
"Now that's a real brother."
Dai Mubai let out a long breath and smiled.
But then his face turned bitter again, remembering what was waiting for them.
"Let's go see how the dean plans to make our lives miserable."
I knew it wouldn't just be about carrying flour...
"But this has nothing to do with me."
Just as everyone was about to go in, Tang San stepped forward.
He looked at Dai Mubai calmly. "I didn't leave the academy, and I didn't go to Soto City. Why should I be punished?"
Normally, Tang San wouldn't refuse a group punishment like this. His past life had taught him that going with the group helped build unity and relationships.
But Ma Hongjun's presence stirred a restlessness in his heart.
He had gotten up early to talk to Xiao Wu, planning to ask her what Ma Hongjun had done—and to tell her sincerely that, even if she'd been coerced or forced, he wouldn't blame her.
But to his surprise, the scorpion-braided girl who had never been angry with him before had turned cold and hadn't spoken a word since.
It stung.
I already said I wouldn't mind even if she had been defiled... Why is she still angry?
Is this how women are? So difficult to understand...
But Tang San didn't know that Xiao Wu was speechless for an entirely different reason.
If it hadn't been for Brother Hongjun rescuing the three of them last night, things could have ended terribly.
Yet now Tang San thought that Brother Hongjun had threatened her—or even defiled her?
It was insulting. Not just to her, but to Brother Hongjun.
If someone really wanted to do that, they could've done three different things in one spring night... cough cough...
That thought alone made Xiao Wu's cheeks flush bright red. She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at Ma Hongjun.
If she hadn't been worried about how Tang San might react, she would've hugged Ma Hongjun in gratitude right then and there.
Thinking about it now, it was all Rongrong's fault. She'd kept whispering strange things last night...
Which led to her having some very strange dreams.
"You really think the dean is that generous?" Dai Mubai said. "If he's punishing someone, he's dragging us all in."
His tone wasn't harsh, but it made his stance clear.
He had initially liked Tang San, but once he sensed the conflict between Tang San and Ma Hongjun, his attitude cooled.
After all, no matter what, Fatty had been his brother for over two years. He wasn't going to turn against him for someone he'd just met.
"Anyway—"
Tang San opened his mouth again but froze when he saw the red-haired boy smiling at him.
That smile brought back too many bad memories.
He shivered slightly, cold sweat forming on his back.
"Let's go. Don't keep the teacher waiting."
The red-haired boy said casually, still smiling.
"Mm. Let's go."
Zhu Zhuqing, normally expressionless, gave a faint smile and blinked her beautiful eyes at the boy before stepping into the courtyard.
Xiao Wu glanced at Tang San and sighed. But when she saw Ma Hongjun, a faint smile appeared on her pretty face as well, and she followed Zhu Zhuqing in.
Dai Mubai: ?? ?
Tang San: !!???
"What are you still standing there for?"
The red-haired boy shrugged, patted Dai Mubai's shoulder, and walked in.
What...?!
Dai Mubai had countless questions in his mind.
How did everything change so drastically in just one day?
But when he saw Tang San's face turning purple from frustration, he suddenly felt much better.
The group arrived at the training ground. Flander stood at the center, hands behind his back, lost in thought.
Seeing them stop at the edge of the field, he turned around, adjusted his glasses, and revealed a slightly mocking smile.
"First of all, welcome to Shrek Academy, little monsters. Congratulations—you passed yesterday's test and proved that you're qualified to be monsters."
"But that's only the beginning."
"If you want to prove that you really have what it takes to be monsters, to meet this academy's standards, there's still more to do."
"Originally, this stage was going to be postponed... but since you all decided to go for a walk and leave me alone like a clown yesterday, I figured—why not let you experience what a real Soul Master battle feels like?"
"After all—"
Flander turned to Dai Mubai, smiling.
"I am a little narrow-minded. Don't you think so, Mubai?"
Dai Mubai's face went pale.
"Dean, I—"
"Enough. It's settled."
Flander gently patted Dai Mubai's shoulder.
"If you can't win three battles in a row tonight, you'll be doing extra training tomorrow."
"Oh, and one more thing."
Flander looked at the rest of them, a devilish grin on his face.
"That extra training? It's for the entire team."